high schools

High school sophomore Elisa is used to observing and going unnoticed except when classmates ask her to write love notes for them, but a teacher's recognition of her talent, a "client's" desire for her friendship, a love of ice skating, and her parents' marital problems draw her out of herself.

Tom Mayo, a wisecracking misfit, tries to navigate his way through wood shop, dating, driving, and class tormentors.

Justin spends time with Jinsen, the unusual and artistic new student whom the school bullies torment and call Buddha Boy, and ends up making choices that impact Jinsen, himself, and the entire school.

When his older brother is released from prison, seventeen-year-old Jeff's family secret is revealed, causing upheaval in his home, school, and love life.

Feeling like she does not fit in with the other members of her family, who are all thin, brilliant, and good-looking, fifteen-year-old Virginia tries to deal with her self-image, her first physical relationship, and her disillusionment with some of the people closest to her.

Unhappy San Diego teenager Samantha Pallas, a passionate runner who holds back during races, lives with her philandering father and his pregnant girlfriend, and searches for love in casual sex on the beach, seeks validation in a relationship with Farouk, a sophisticated new boy from Iran, while her school mourns the death of Owen, the popular star of the track team.

Alice is adjusting to her new stepmother, her brother's new apartment, her ex-boyfriend, and getting a driver's license.

Mena, ostracized at church, home, and school for writing a letter of apology to a gay teen who was harassed into trying to kill himself by her fundamentalist friends, struggles to find her way when new friends and school experiences force her to think about what she really believes.

The author presents a discussion of school reform movements that have been pushing for better schools and curriculum, smaller class sizes, and a stronger emphasis on the education of students.

When openly gay Manuel transfers to Paul's high school, Paul, a born-again Christian, begins to question his own sexuality.